The County Press

Access to Narcan vital to save lives


One of the most pressing public health challenges in Lapeer County, in Michigan and the nation today is the epidemic of opioid addiction and overdoses. Fortunately Naloxone, better known as Narcan, is a very effective drug for reversing opioid overdoses and is readily available to the public.

Narcan has saved dozens of lives in our community. Police officers, ambulance crews and emergency medical first responders frequently bring people back from the brink of death thanks to Narcan.

The medication is also available to the public in drug stores, without a prescription. Health and emergency first responders urge those who are at risk of an opioid-related overdose, as well as their loved ones, to be prepared to administer this potentially life-saving drug.

Attendees at a Lapeer Area Chamber of Commerce Wake Up Lapeer breakfast meeting on Thursday heard a presentation by a guest speaker, Bryon Boston of Wellness Services, who explained how the medication, available commercially in a nasal spray form, works and is administered. Afterward, there was a line to obtain free Narcan nasal spray units for people to take back to their places of business and to keep on their person in case they encounter someone they suspect is suffering from an opioid overdose.

Public institutions, including libraries, are also taking steps to be equipped and employees trained to administer Narcan. Last week a state House committee passed bills to give librarians immunity from any issues that could arise if they administer the opioid overdose medication.

Owing to the times we live in, it’s just as important for businesses and citizens have access to Narcan at it is to have AEDS units available and at the ready in case someone collapses from a heart attack.

Michigan ranks eighth in U.S. in the number of overdose deaths from opioids. The state recorded 2,694 drug overdose deaths in 2017, a 14-percent increase from the 2,335 deaths in 2016, according to a recent announcement from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office. Opioids were responsible for more than three-quarters of the drug overdose deaths.

Michigan recently received $10 million from New York City-based Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by Michael Bloomberg, as part of a national initiative to address the opioid crisis. Bloomberg chose Michigan and Pennsylvania as the first two states to receive funding through a $50 million initiative aimed at the fast-rising opioid overdose death rate.

Whitmer said, “The opioid crisis affects nearly every county in Michigan. These funds will help our state advance a comprehensive plan and implement critical interventions that can make the biggest impact to reduce overdose deaths.”

The Bloomberg funding will go to identify new ways to fill gaps in the current treatment and prevention programs, with the goal of replicating the models in other states.

Community outreach by organizations like Families Against Narcotics is essential, as is treatment for persons addicted to opioids — but it’s also important to have medicine on hand in the event of an overdose. Narcan is designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist — meaning that it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other opioids. It can very quickly restore normal respiration to a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped as a result of overdosing with heroin or prescription opioid pain medications.

The CDC and local emergency first responders say Narcan is an extremely safe medication. Some people object to Narcan, arguing that its availability “enables” people who have addiction problems to continue to abuse opioids if they know there is a medicine they can obtain that might save their life if they overdose. But it’s a silly argument.

To use the AED analogy, wouldn’t you want to save someone who has overdosed by administering Narcan just like you would use a defibrillator to try to save the life of someone who is unconscious as the result of a heart attack?

We would hope so. You can argue later what caused the opioid crisis in the United Sates. In the meanwhile it’s prudent for people to purchase and keep Narcan on them if they know someone who is using drugs that could result in an overdose.